Lesson 45: Trill Technique
- Play a trill that starts slow, accelerates, and ends with a turn.
- Apply variable-speed trills convincingly at multiple cadences in a single piece.
- Lesson 27 — introductory trills.
- Sustained trill mechanics.
- Trill speed and shape.
- Cadential trill placement.
A good trill has a shape. A bad trill is a constant.
A trill is not just an alternation between two notes. A good Baroque trill starts slower than its final speed, accelerates through its course, and ends with a turn that prepares the next note. The trill has a shape, the same way a phrase has a shape, and players who treat the trill as a constant lose half of what it can do.
Accelerating trill
Start with deliberate alternation, then accelerate. The transition should be smooth, not stepped.
Trill termination — the turn
A trill that ends on its main note sounds incomplete. Add a turn (the note below, then back to the main note) before resolving. This is the Baroque convention.
Variable speed across a piece
Multiple cadences in one piece should not all have identical trills. The cadence at the end of the first section can be slower and shorter; the final cadence longer and faster. Build to the final.
Now play these
- Telemann: Six Sonatas, TWV 40:101
- Apply shaped trills at every cadence. Vary their length and speed.
- Handel: Sonata in G minor, HWV 360 (Andante)
- Slow movement — the trills are decorative as well as cadential.
- Telemann: Sonata in C major, TWV 41:C5 (complete)
- The complete sonata. Multiple cadences across four movements.
When the trills in a piece all sound different from each other, and each fits the moment, move on to Lesson 46.